If there’s anything Houstonians like as much as eating and drinking, it’s talking about eating and drinking. Now there’s a show focused on just that.
“We sit around and talk about beer, drink beer and have music on,” co-host Jon Denman says in summing up Drink of Ages — the new local food, drink and music show airing every Saturday at 7 p.m. on 92.1 FM.
While it’s only had about a dozen shows so far, Drink of Ages has already welcomed a fleet of well-regarded craft beer names like Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner, Houston Chronicle beer columnist Ronnie Crocker, the 8th Wonder Brewery founders and plenty of other big-in-beer names from around town. (So you can imagine my surprise when I was recently invited on as a guest.)
Guests are greeted with a beer before the show, in between segments and after the show.
With a current focus on beer, the show will likely expand into cocktails and wine in due time. Guests are greeted with a beer before the show, in between segments and after the show, so it only makes sense that it tapes every Wednesday and airs much later — on Saturday evenings. Copious amounts of brews are a nice pre-on-air buffer, but hosts Preston Brown and Denman are warm and welcoming, making the one-hour segment a laid back but informative listening experience for guests and listeners alike.
Denman is the co-owner of Backyard Home Brewers and Education Center in Humble, which offers free classes twice a month for those who want to learn how to brew their own beer. Brown is the president of the Rogue Brewers Coalition Homebrew Club, as well as a teacher of brewing for a local store.
While both are imbued with beer knowledge and memorable moments in teaching and working with beer nerds, reflecting on the show reveals a whole new set of noteworthy moments with colorful beer industry personalities. Denman lists Wagner, who has been in studio and called into the show from Colorado to comment on beer legislation, Kevin Floyd from Hay Merchant and Ben Fullelove of Petrol Station as his most memorable guests to date.
“When [Fullelove] came on, I laughed the whole time and had to turn the microphone off through most of the interview,” Denman says.
For Brown, it was an interview with Karbach Brewing Company’s brewmaster Eric Warner that conjures up the most profound memories in a self-proclaimed beer geek’s interview archive.
“There is a 60/40 split: Inside the Loop 60 percent of people drink craft beer and 40 percent of people outside the Loop drink craft."
“I’m a big fan, and I was dumbstruck . . . he’s one of my idols,” Brown says. “Warner is definitely my favorite, and one of the best brewers in the nation.”
Apart from having a fun time hosting the show and broadcasting local music and craft beer industry names, the hosts are excited to influence the scene too.
“There is a 60/40 split: Inside the Loop 60 percent of people drink craft beer and 40 percent of people outside the Loop drink craft,” Brown says. “We want the craft beer drinkers at much, much higher numbers . . . we want people to drink good beer."
In addition to food and drink, Denman and Brown share a mutual interest in music. Their other objective is to expand listeners taste in music. Every show they feature a different live, in-studio act to perform a piece and rate beer. They’ve had everyone from local Fitzgerald’s regulars to Celtic punk band Flogging Molly on the show.
The show airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. on 92.1 FM. To catch up on past shows (including a segment featuring yours truly), check out the podcast archive here.
The Drink of Ages duo in the studio
